Cricket World Cup 2019 team-by-team guide: Bangladesh star men, strengths and weaknesses

In a series of articles, Standard Sport takes a look at the ten teams bidding for glory at the ten teams bidding for glory at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Next up, it's a Bangladesh side with a history of causing World Cup upsets.

World Ranking: 7
World Cup best performance: Quarter-final (2015)
Captain: Mashrafe Mortaza
Coach: Steve Rhodes

Since the last World Cup they’ve…

Ticked along nicely. For a while it was par for the course, with series defeats against England, New Zealand and South Africa to be expected, and wins over Zimbabwe and Afghanistan much the same.

However, the historic 2-1 triumph over the West Indies in the Caribbean this winter, coupled with an excellent showing at the Asia Cup in 2018, where they reached the final and very nearly won it, mean momentum has built nicely heading into the tournament.

Cricket World Cup 2019: Venue guide

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Strength

Their tournament form is decent, with the aforementioned Asia Cup final appearance, coming after they reached the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in England a year earlier.

That is in large part thanks to having a couple of players, in Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, that have genuine world class ability, and have proven themselves capable of showing it on the biggest stage.

Weakness

Not much about the way the tournament is set up will help them. Flat pitches will suit batting line-ups that can score in excess of 350 on a regular basis, and Bangladesh do not have one, while they also look very light on spin.

Their success in recent World Cups has been built on outstanding, one-off performances to upset ‘bigger’ nations, but the change to a ten-team group stage places a greater emphasis on consistency, and you just cannot see the Tigers emerging as one of the best four teams at the end of it.

Star man – Tamim Iqbal

Iqbal in action in the Tri-Nation's Series clash against Ireland in Dublin
AFP/Getty Images

Al Hasan remains one off the very best all-rounders in the world, but Bangladesh’s chances of competing with the kind of astronomical scores that we are expecting this summer will rely heavily on the form of their talismanic opener.

Iqbal can be hit and miss – his 12 ODI innings in 2018 included six scores of more than 75, as well as four of 12 or fewer – but if he gets in, he tends to score big and bat deep.

The expert's verdict - Will Macpherson, cricket correspondent

“Well led by Mashrafe Mortaza, and have an experienced core. Performed well at the 2015 tournament, and the 2017 Champions Trophy, so will arrive in England confident and ambitious.

“Whether English conditions will suit them is up for debate, but in Tamim Iqbal they have a batsman of clout and Mustafizur Rahman a bowler who baffles batsmen. Will have done very well to make the last four.”

Final 15-man squad

Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Shakib Al Hasan (vc), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das (wk), Mushfiqu Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Soumya, Sarkar, Rubel Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed

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